Cinder Fella
by Shadow Princess56
Summary: A classic tale of Cinderella with a Fairy Tail twist! Natsu had been denied human affection since the age 7 after his father passed away. One day while riding he finds a beautiful blonde haired maiden, who shows him kindness. Natsu's life was finally starting to look uphill, then the kingdom announced that the royal princess Lucy was throwing a ball to find a potential husband...
1. Chapter 1

**This is the story that Lucy from my first fan fic Monster is reading in the garden right before Natsu passes out. It has nothing to do with the other story at all so don't worry** **J** **just thought if any readers from Monster read this that it would be cool info! Again DISCLAIMER I don't own Fairy Tail, also may contain SPOILERS if not fully caught up. Enjoy!**

Cinder Fella

Natsu scrubbed the floor till it sparkled. He wiped the sweat from his brow, he was exhausted. Natsu glanced at the clock with his dark eyes, almost midnight. He let out a sigh of relief as he stood up, his back aching, his feet throbbing inside his shoes. He picked up the wooden bucket filled with the mixture for cleaning floors. He walked all the way to the kitchen slowly, careful not to slush any of the liquid out of the bucket.

Once he arrived in the kitchen, very clean and tidy. Thanks to him. He put the bucket under the sink where he normally kept it. Then he made his way over to the pot where the stew he made for everyone waited. Natsu removed the lid and poured himself the remaining stew into his wooden bowl, he was forbidden to use any of the china. He sat down by himself at the prepping table, eating it cold. A cold wind blew through, he shivered wrapping a scarf he wore closer to his neck. He dreaded going up to the tower, where he knew without a doubt it would be freezing.

Natsu finished his mean, cleaned the bowl. The sat down by the fire place, he began to relight a fire, something he really wasn't supposed to do but, but he wasn't going to freeze to death. Once the fire was fully lit and roaring with life, Natsu watched the flames dance with life. He was captivated by how the flames flickered and moved but his weariness finally overcame him and he felt his eyes start to droop. He slowly curled up by the fire, drifting into sleep giving into his exhaustion.

He awoke with a sudden splash of cold water drenching his face.

"Get up you wretched boy! Hurry up and make breakfast you no good for nothing bastard!" With that the venomous women kicked him in side. He sat up and bowed his head in apologizes and rushed off to start making the scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Little did he know, the cinder from the fire place had dusted his face while he slept. Natsu finished and then served his waiting step mother, and two step brothers. He served in on the normal china, his elder step brother, Sting started laughing with delight.

"Oh look brother! He is covered in ashes from the fire place!" Sting hollered not able to controlling the snorting that followed. Rogue only shook his head.

"You need to clean up, you will disgrace us if we have company." Rogue said coldly.

"Hurry up and eat, I want to take you boys into town for your fencing lessons at once." The cold hearted women, Lady Kyoka, who somehow managed to impress his late father. "You foolish boy, take care of the stables today! Also polish all the china, the laundry, repair the fence." She paused to think, "Then of course prepare diner." She said with a satisfied nod and return to eating.

Natsu left the room and went to the mirror and started to clean his face, he wanted to punch her. He wanted to give Sting a bloody nose, he overall just wanted to walk away and leave these awful people. He knew he could at any point in time, but the house. It's all he had left of his family, of happy memories, besides his scarf. The thought of leaving this place was heart wrenching. He shook his head and made his way out to the stable, not grabbing anything to eat.

The stable was truly beautiful, a luxury palace for the single horse they owned, KemoKemo or for short Kemo. When Natsu entered the Stable Kemo let out the happiest whinny a horse could give. Natsu beamed up at the beautiful black horse.

"Hey buddy! Wanna go for a ride today?" Natsu asked opening up the stall letting Kemo out. "I'll take that as a yes." Natsu hopped on always preferring to ride bareback.

Natsu and Kemo made their way to the forest where Kemo slowly trotted along the path. Natsu took in the beautiful forest wishing he could spend all day here. He then heard some loud yelling coming from behind him.

"Come back here!" a loud male voice demanded, before he knew it a tall very muscular blonde man appeared before him on horseback, wearing a royal guards outfit. "You!" he pointed at Natsu who kept Kemo still. "Have you seen a blonde girl?" He asked, Natsu couldn't help notice the lighting form scar down his face.

"No, sir I haven't" Natsu said a little dazed at the weird question.

"Of course you haven't" He snarled and the continued on his search.

"Come on Kemo, let's get out of here before anything else weird happens." He said and geared Kemo to turn home. Half on their way back some bushes where rustling that startled Kemo. "Woah boy woah." A beautiful blonde headed girl, with the most beautiful brown eyes he ever seen appeared. "Woah…"

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten your horse." The girl said sadly reaching her hand out in a friendly gesture to the horse.

"It's okay." Natsu said unsure what to really say to a girl who was hiding in a bush. "Uh, why where you hiding?"

"Oh… I don't want to go home," She said with a slight frown. I just wanted to explore since I rarely get to leave." The girl explained.

"I got chores to do but, if you want you can come spend the day with me?" Natsu asked sheepishly afraid that he sounded like a pervert. He could sense she was lonely and although he would never admit it he craved for another human's company that wouldn't treat him like dirt.

"R-really?" She gasped.

"Uh… sorry I didn't mean it in a weird way. I-"Before he could say anything the girl screamed yes witch caused Natsu to blush at the girl's eagerness. Natsu had hopped down to give the girl in the beautiful blue dress a boost up onto Kemo after she was safely on he climbed up. She clung on to him around his waist causing him to stir with mixed emotions, it was kind of like a hug. He hadn't been hugged since he was 7. Natsu shook the thought away, act cool, he told himself over and over again in his head. He was bringing the blonde haired girl, that the royal guard was looking for to his house where Lady Kyoka would rip him to shreds if she where to find him with anyone.

What mess did he just get himself into?


	2. Chapter 2

**I am truly shocked with how much attention the story has gotten from just the first chapter! I appreciate it a lot thank you!**

Natsu finally arrived back to the stable with Kemo, and the blonde girl from the forest. He got off and helped the girl slide down. She looked around in awe.

"This is all for one horse?" Natsu couldn't help but laugh at her statement.

'Yeah a bit of an overkill but he is an amazing horse." He replied grabbing a brush so he could start grooming Kemo. The girl watched him in silence as he brushed away.

"What kind of chores do you have to do?" She finally asked after some time.

"Uh, well I got to clean this stable, polish all the china, the laundry, repair the fence… not too much." Natsu shrugged, "Also can't forget about dinner."

"All by yourself?"

"Yeah?"

"Show me where the china is, I'll start working on that while you clean the stables." She happily put her hands together at the idea. "Then I can start the laundry!"

"No, that's fine it's my chores anyway." The blonde pouted, she looked cute.

"It would get done faster if we split the work up, then we can go do something fun!" Natsu didn't know if he felt comfortable letting the blonde girl into his house, what if she was a thief and that's why the guard was after her.

"You got a point but…" Natsu frowned, "are you sure you want to work?"

"Yes!"

"Then, tell me your name?" Natsu really wanted to know her name.

"Uh… its Lilly." Taken aback by the question all of the sudden, "yours?"

"Natsu Dragneel." He grinned, "I'm trusting you not to steal anything okay, I will show you where the china is." Natsu led Lilly into the manor, he walked her over to the china and handed her a rag and the polisher.

"I promise you can trust me" Lilly smiled up at the pink haired man.

"Okay, I'll hopefully be done with the stable when you're done with this and we can meet outside by the broken fence and you can do laundry there."

"Sounds like a plan!" she cheered happily as she set to work, "hurry up slacker" She stuck her tongue out playfully at him he grinned happily. So this is what it's like to have a friend he thought to himself.

Time surely passed and Lilly was hanging up the last piece of clothing while Natsu finished the fence.

"You sure have a lot of boy clothes." Lilly commented amused at the idea Natsu would own that many shirts for himself.

"It isn't just mine." Natsu gave her a half smile. "Actually none of that is mine, all of that is my Step brothers."

"They should do their own laundry." Lilly scoffed.

"That would be the day." Natsu laughed, he could picture Rogue figuring out how to clean but Sting, he would surly end up in the hospital.

"Well that is very stupid!" Lilly crossed her arms not understanding what was so funny. "It isn't fair you have to do all the work."

"But I didn't" Natsu pointed out, "I normally get pretty blonde girls to help me out." He laughed causing Lilly to blush.

"Y-you think I'm pretty?" then she realized what he said, "wait you did this before!"Natsu stomach was hurting from the unsettling hunger but also from how much laughing he was doing.

"No Lill' you're the only one." Natsu winked at her. "We finished so what kind of fun thing did you want to do?"

"Let's go into town." Lilly suggested. "There is sure to be something exciting happening.

"Sure. Its close enough we can walk." Natsu suggested Lilly smiled with delight.

"Lead on!" Natsu extended his arm out for her as he often had watched his step brothers do for ladies they entertain as dates to dances. Lilly blushed but happily took his arm as they made their way to the town to continue their adventure.

They approached town where the passed a restaurant where Natsu's stomach let out a very unpleasant sound.

"Someone sounds hungry." Lilly giggled while Natsu scratched the back of his head with embarrassment. "Let's get something to eat!" as she pulled him inside a little café called Fairy Tail

"I don't have any money on me." Natsu quickly protested.

"Don't worry about it, I do." Lilly smiled as she then asked a white hair maiden for a table for two. They were quickly seated and given menus.

"Hi, I am Mira and I'll be your server today, can I start you off with any drinks." The white hair maiden smiled cheerfully.

"I'll have a strawberry milkshake." Lilly smiled happily at the idea of a milkshake.

"I'll have…" He peaked over at Lilly unsure of what to get. "A chocolate milkshake?" he said unsure of himself.

"Gotcha I'll get those out to you soon." She winked at Natsu with a knowing smile.

"Have you ever had a milkshake before?" Lilly asked Natsu curiously.

"No, I don't think so anyway." Natsu admitted staring down at the list of foods. He wanted all of it.

"Really?" Lilly then took notice at how he was eye balling everything on the menu she then giggled at his lack of experience. "Have you ever been dancing before?"

"Uh, when I was really little." Natsu answered feeling uncomfortable. "What about you?"

"I dance at balls." Lilly said slowly unsure if she should go on, "I can teach you if you don't remember."

"That would be fun." Natsu grinned, she sure was easy to talk to. Just then the waitress Mira had arrived with two milkshakes in hand.

"Here you two go have you decided what you wanted to eat?"

"Uh... no not really." Natsu admitted.

"I can give you two some more time?" Mira suggested.

"No that's okay, we will have one of everything." Lilly said in a casual way.

"What?" Mira asked dumbfounded

"One of everything." Lilly repeated herself trying to stop herself from laughing, "I'll pay first if that's the issue."

"N-no not an issue, I'll get on it right away." Mira quickly rushed off.

"Woah! Are you insane that's going to be super expensive!" Natsu said with worried eyes.

"Yea, it's no big deal! Plus it will be fun to try everything." Lilly beamed up at Natsu. "Then we can go dance!"

"Yeah but… how can you afford all this?"

"I just can." Lilly took a sip out of her shake. Natsu felt a little disgusted, sure it was an amazing thing to get everything off the menu but to have that much wealth she was probably spoiled rotten, but she had been then kindest, maybe she truly was a thief? He didn't know but something wasn't right and he wasn't sure if he could handle being friends with a rich person or a thief.

"Okay." Natsu replied his belly aching from starvation, he was still going to eat, food is food.


End file.
